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>> Saturday, November 1, 2014

What a night! It'll be one of the most memorable dinners in the year 2014 for The Ruthless Eater :D Dining amongst talented world-class chefs from our own home-ground, together with people with charitable hearts for those who are less fortunate in this world was just a privilege & honor.
The Charity Gala Dinner held in conjunction with the celebration of International Chef Day 2014 took place at the Cilantro Culinary Academy on the 18th of October 2014. This dinner was an initiative by the World Chefs without Borders, Chefs Association of Malaysia & Cilantro Culinary Academy. All funds raised at the dinner will support the work of caring matters by the World Chefs without Borders. Each guest contributes RM250.00nett for charity & in return, get to enjoy a sumptuous meal by world-class chefs from our own home-ground.

Themed "Cook with Love", every dish certainly featured the love of the chefs for the less fortunate in this world & their love for food as well! Allow me to share this lovely experience with you :)

Cocktail session

The evening began with cocktail at 7:00p.m., featuring Chef Amy Beh's Jiu Hu Char amongst 2 other small bites. It was simple yet fragrant & 'fun' to pop into the mouth while looking forward to the full dinner menu for the evening. Guests were also served wine, JKS - Amigos Beer & orange juice to accompany the small bites.

Jiu Hu Char/ Fried Cuttlefish with Vegetables by Chef Amy Beh

Looks LOVELY, right? :)

Dinner kicked-off around 7:30 - 8:00p.m. with the salmon appetizer by Chef KK Yau. The fresh pieces (yes, not slices!) of salmon were served alongside marinated asparagus with vin jaune & borage. Frankly speaking, I don't even know what vin jaune & borage were until I Googled them up! Really lovely taste of freshness from the salmon & also the asparagus. I wish there was more! :P

Salmon, Marinated Asparagus with Vin Jaune & Borage by Chef KK Yau

Up next, guests were served Chef Eric Siew's "powerful" Fresh Prawn Bisque with Blue Swimmer Crab Timbale, Crispy Prawn & Truffle Leek Parcel topped with Avruga Caviar. Trust me, it was 'something not to be missed'! The taste of the prawn bisque was SO intense & fragrant, while the various textures from the Blue Swimmer Crab timbale (generously served in proportion with the bisque!), the crispy prawn & truffle leek parcel & exquisite avruga caviar just made playful, harmonious music in my mouth! I even 'cleaned' the dish with the oh-so-delicious-made-in-house-by-students artisan breads served throughout the night :D Well done, chef!

Artisan breads made by the team at Cilantro Culinary Academy! SO delicious!

It took me a while to complete my enjoyment of savoring the fresh prawn bisque dish, but there were more exciting dishes being served! Chef Rajesh Kanna coddled us in his entree of the delicate Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Hot Salted Smoked Mozzarella Cheese, Caper Berries, Dehydrated Kalamata & Mustard Dressing. The wagyu beef slices just melts in your mouth *drools* As the mustard dressing & the kalamata were quite distinct in taste, it took away the raw taste of the thin beef slices, which some may find unpleasant. The hot salted smoked Mozarrella cheese & purple cabbage gave a good balance of texture & flavor to this simple dish as well. Just lovely.

I felt I was in dreamland after the entree when I felt that I was taken even deeper into dreamland by the beautiful presentation of Master Chef Helmut Lamberger's Honey Infused Lacto Chicken Breast with Brussel Sprout, Topinambur Mashed & Chanterelle. Oh my goodness. It took me a while to digest the name of the dish! There were so many ingredients that were foreign to my vocabulary & I felt even more privileged to be at the dinner :D I'm actually not a fan of chicken breasts, but this premium, lean & tender chicken breast did amaze me & fill me 'til I felt all-too-full! I never expected to feel so satisfied to the brim (and almost over-flowing) at a dinner such as this.

The mashed topinambur intrigued me & brought me to a whole new learning dimension, away from my usual mashed potatoes. How interesting! According to Nature's Pride, topinambur is a family member of the sunflowers & is native to North Amercia. The tubers are the ones which are consumed. Topinambur looks like a white potato & tastes slightly sweet, nutty, potato, artichoke like. The texture is like a potato only crunchier. Such a rare item in Malaysia & I had the opportunity to experience how this native tuber tastes :D It's also my 1st time tasting Chanterelle & you can imagine how excited I am with all the dishes served that evening!

I think I remained at dreamland for the entire evening as the dessert looked even more splendid than I would have ever imagined! *respect!* The Trio of Miniature: Mango Yuzu Brulee, Soya Pana Cotta & Infused Chocolate Mousse with Garden Flower, Seasonal Berries, Raspberry & Passion Fruit Drop by Chef Khor BG left me astounded. I was really lost for words. All I could say was "wow!", "Wow!" & "WOW!" How can anyone eat such a pretty display of art?? That's a whole load of effort to ensure the taste, texture & colors blend harmoniously with each other & not to forget, there were at least 200 plates to prepare! *unbelievable*

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